Re: Linux Torvalds on GPL2
Mario Steele wrote:
>
> Allright, there seems to be some mis-conceptions in which I belive needs to
> be marked out here. The major thing being the line in which the GPL, and LGPL
> consideres Derivitive, and such codes.
Yes, you are right Mario. However, this is a crucial definition : what is
derivative?
The FSF people seem to say that just using any GPL software component in your
application makes your work a derivative work. For example, if OEU were GPL, then
any program coded using an INCLUDE that directly or indirectly included some code
that is distributed as a part of OEU, would itself have to be GPL - even if you
do not change, in any manner, the OEU code.
Whereas if OEU was LGPL, then including an OEU component would not mean that you
program is a derivative work. With LGPL, it seems that a work becomes derivative
only if it modifies one or more LGPL distributed files in some way.
Other crucial points include...
** when any OEU code is modified, how much of OEU is one supposed to make
available to anyone? For example, if I add a find_from() function to the
wildcard.e file, do I have to make all of OEU available for just my changes?
** when one includes an OEU component (modified) in a new software component,
does one have to make the entire new component available or just the modified OEU
component. For example, if I add a find_from() function to the wildcard.e file,
and then use that as an included file, do I only have to make wildcard.e
available, or must I also make available my program that uses the modified
wildcard.e?
--
Derek Parnell
Melbourne, Australia
Skype name: derek.j.parnell
|
Not Categorized, Please Help
|
|
